Meghan Markle urges global action on online safety of children in Geneva: 'World must act again'
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND: Meghan Markle travelled to Geneva on Monday, May 18, to attend the unveiling of "The Lost Screen Memorial," an installation dedicated to children who lost their lives due to online harm and digital abuse.
The Duchess of Sussex attended the ceremony alongside global health leaders and families affected by online violence, as the exhibition promoting safer online spaces was unveiled at Place des Nations ahead of the 79th World Health Assembly, following previous presentations in New York City and Los Angeles.
Meghan Markle attends 'The Lost Screen Memorial' inauguration in Geneva
Meghan was joined by World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, with whom she previously travelled to Jordan alongside Prince Harry earlier this year, as well as global health leaders and families affected by online harm.
Together, they attended the illumination of 50 lightboxes displaying the lock-screen images of children who lost their lives due to online violence and digital harm. During the ceremony, she paid tribute to the children commemorated in the installation while stressing the urgent need for stronger global protections for children online.
She began her speech by stating that safe online spaces are “not simply a technology issue,” but a “public health issue.”
“Behind me stands The Lost Screen Memorial,” she continued, referencing the photos and names of 50 children who lost their lives as a result of online bullying and digital harm. “Each name belonged to a child who was loved beyond measure. A child whose laughter once filled a kitchen. Whose shoes once waited by a front door. Whose future once felt limitless,” the mother-of-two added.
“Now their faces ask the world questions we can no longer avoid: How many more millions of children will be harmed by products that, while innovative, are still designed without sufficient safeguards?” Meghan asked the crowd.
Meghan Markle calls for urgent global online safety action
The Duchess of Sussex went on to compare the dangers of online spaces to other widely recognized public safety concerns, arguing that governments and policymakers have historically intervened to protect children in similar situations.
“We did not tell parents to create their own seatbelts. We did not ask children to test unsafe medicine. We did not shrug at poisoned water or defective toys and call it the price of progress. We acted. And now the world must act again," she said.
Meghan urged the global community to take immediate action, warning that the threat facing children and families continues to intensify, particularly with the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI).
“Across lived experience, court cases, authoritative medical and media journals, and testimony from families, a clear and urgent picture is emerging,” she said. “At the same time, advancing technologies, such as AI, are not just repeating past mistakes — they are accelerating and amplifying them.”
Meghan concluded her speech on a hopeful note, insisting that “these outcomes are not inevitable. Speak up. Demand better from the platforms shaping our children's lives. Be an example in your own social media use of how to be intentional in every like, comment, post, and share. Hold your community to the same standard."
